This probably isn’t the matchup that Providence expected for the NCAA second round, provided they got to this point themselves.
But 12th-seeded Richmond has long had a reputation as a “giant killer” when they reach the tournament themselves. And these Spiders, making their first postseason stop in 11 years since reaching the Sweet 16 in 2011, did it again Thursday.
They bit the fifth-seeded and Big 10 tourney champ Iowa Hawkeyes, 67-63. Add the Hawkeyes to a growing list of top-seeded teams falling to Richmond, most notably Indiana and Georgia Tech in 1988, South Carolina in ’98, Vanderbilt in ’11 and as a 15-seed gained the FIRST EVER win over a No. 2 seed, 73-69 over Syracuse.
Yup, that’s some serious Spidey-sense going on there.
“When we made the Sweet 16 in 2011, to have that opportunity to be one of only 16 teams remaining, it’s just such a stamp of approval or stamp of establishment if you can accomplish something like that,” Richmond coach Chris Mooney said. “Being here is one step…it marks your program as one of the very relevant programs in the country.”
And the Spiders have the Friars’ attention. Thanks especially to their style of play that Iowa ultimately found hard to guard – a Princeton-styled offense coming from a Princeton guy in Coach Mooney.
“They do a really good job,” Ed Cooley said. “They know the cuts, and we have not played it to that level. We’re going to have our hands full with that. We have to do a really good job of staying disciplined and detailed in what we need to do to try to compete.”
There’s also some familiarity between the two teams, having played common opponents (Rhode Island) and players knowing each other well. Richmond’s Tyler Burton is from Uxbridge, MA – his mother and father are both PC grads and his dad played on the Friars’ ’89-90 NCAA teams. PC’s A.J. Reeves is a former teammate of Burton’s and considers him a close friend.
“Our relationship has been strong,” Reeves told the media. “I can’t wait to get out there and play against my brother.”
“Hopefully, he can have a really bad game tomorrow,” Cooley added. “He has a great family, and I’m sure blood is a little thicker than water in this game. He has definitely earned the right to be here. I’m very happy for him and very proud of him.”
Additionally, graduate guard Jacob Gilyard and the Friars’ Jared Bynum squared off in intense battles when Bynum played at St. Joseph’s. Richmond’s 6-10 senior center, Grant Golden, is the older brother of Butler center Bryce Golden.
And, both teams have had the advantage this season of playing with a little extra age and experience, with several grad students on both rosters. “They have a lot of guys that know their system well and know how to play within their offense,” Bynum said. “I’m looking forward to a competitive game and moving forward.”
TOURNAMENT NOTES
While a trip to the Sweet 16 would be the first for Richmond since 2011, it would also be the first for Providence since 1997 – 25 years ago.
The Friars had reactions to URI’s hiring of former Indiana coach Archie Miller, who also coached the USA U-19 team in Greece with Ed Cooley a few years ago: “Archie and I are very, very close. I think it’s a great hire, and I think he’ll like the state of Rhode Island,” Cooley said. “I will cheer for him like I do every single year except for one game. I hope they’re absolutely horrendous when they play us, and I told him that as I talked to him on the phone today.”
From Al Durham, who played under Miller for four seasons at Indiana before transferring to Providence: “I’m happy for him,“ Durham said. “I couldn’t explain how grateful I am for him to be able to coach me for four years and learn so much from him.”
Game time for Saturday’s second-round game in Buffalo is 6:10 pm ET. TNT is scheduled to carry the broadcast.